Pass the Gravy by Steve Massa

Pass the Gravy By Steve Massa Max Davidson had appeared in movies since the early teens – act- ing at Biograph, supporting Fay Tincher in her Komic Comedy and Fine Arts comedy, and briefly headlining in his own Izzy Come- dies” – usually portraying stereo- typical Jewish tailors and mer- chants. After scoring a notable success co-starring with Jackie Coogan in the features “The Rag Man” and “Old Clothes” (both 1925) he was hired by producer Hal Roach to be part of his stable of supporting comedians. Proving himself in the service of Roach star comics Cuckoos” (1927) introductory description of “Love’s such as Stan Laurel, Charley Chase, and Mabel Greatest Mistake.” Screen freckles usually denote Normand in the shorts “Get ‘Em Young,” “Long Fliv fresh and fun-loving characters, but Spec’s spots the King” (both 1926), and “Anything Once” (1927), came with an icy heart, a malevolent grin, and Max was bumped up to the leading role in his own beady eyes that loved to see his screen father series and given the opportunity to flesh out his squirm. standard screen persona. The first entries were directed by Leo McCarey, then director-general of the In contrast to his sons like Spec, Max’s screen Roach Studio, who laid the ground work with shorts daughters are always his pride and joy, but still such as “Why Girls Say No,” “Jewish Prudence,” cause him a lot of aggravation, particularly when “Don’t Tell Everything,” and “Should Second they take up with boys he doesn’t approve of or as- Husbands Come First?” (all 1927). sumes aren’t Jewish (whom he refers to as “Irishers”). Vivacious Martha Sleeper played his Since Davidson was already well into middle age, daughter in four shorts and drove him to distraction the shorts weren’t built around his quest for success in entries such as “Flaming Fathers” (1927), where or obtaining the leading lady. Plus as a performer he Davidson follows her to the beach to keep her from didn’t move with the balletic grace of a Chaplin or do eloping and of course suffers one embarrassment tremendous stunts and falls like Buster Keaton – after another. Other regular salt in Max’s wounds instead his comic focus was on his face and shoul- were played by Lillian Elliott, Jess Devorska, and ders where he had developed a repertoire of shrugs, Gene Morgan as the series continued through 1928. lifted eyebrows, and tilts of the head. McCarey sur- rounded Davidson with a dysfunctional family that “Pass the Gravy” (1928) is widely considered the kept him in cinematic hot water so that he could por- comic peak of the Davidson series. Overlooked for tray the mounting frustrations of a put upon papa. many years, it was championed by film historian William K. Everson, and was re-discovered and a Chief among the irritants in Davidson’s movie life smash hit when shown as part of Le Giornate del was Spec O’Donnell, who bedeviled Max in eight Cinema Muto’s Forgotten Laughter retrospective in episodes and always lived up to his “Call of the 1994. Directed by Fred Guiol and supervised by Leo McCarey, in addition to the usual family landmines of “The General” (1926), “The Kid Brother” (1927), Max has to maneuver in this one he also has to con- “Big Business” (1929), and “City Lights” (1931), as tend with a roasted prize-winning rooster and its part of the very peak of silent film comedy. murderous owner from next door. The views expressed in this essay are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Library of Congress. The series ran its course by 1929, and “Hurdy Gurdy” (1929) was the last Roach comedy with Davidson as “papa.” He finished his days at the studio Steve Massa is the author of Lame Brains and Lunatics: The Good, The Bad, and The Forgotten of Silent Comedy. A librari- the way he had begun – supporting comics like Charley an in the Billy Rose Theatre Collection at the New York Public Chase and Harry Langdon in two-reelers such as Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, he has orga- “Great Gobs” (1929) and “The Shrimp” (1930). nized comedy film programs for the Museum of Modern Art, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and the His voice and accent fit his already established Pordenone Silent Film Festival. In addition to consulting with screen persona perfectly, so Max did well as support the Eye Film Institute, Netherlands and other archives, and in the early days of sound in features like “So This is writing for film journals such as Griffithiana, he is a founding member of Silent Cinema Presentations which produces NYC's College,” and “The Lottery Bride” (both 1929), but Silent Clown Films Series. Steve has also contributed essays oddly was soon demoted to bit parts, rarely having and commentary tracks to many comedy DVD collections such lines, for the rest of his career. But while it lasted, his as “The Forgotten Films of Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle,” “Harry Langdon: Lost and Found,” “Kino Video's Buster Keaton: The starring series following the misadventures of an Short Films Collection,” and co-curated “The Mishaps of American Jewish family ranked alongside the likes Musty Suffer” DVD set. .

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